There are many types of infrared or low level radiation sensor systems. The most widely used infrared imagers employ either photonic bandgap detection and thermal bolometer detection. Bandgap detectors for low level radiation are not the subject of the present invention. Most thermal detectors utilize sensor elements including thermistors, piezoelectric, ferroelectric, or multimorph deflection elements that incrementally change electrical characteristics with temperature. In each of these sensor types there is a direct electrical connection between the sensor element and the readout electronics or readout integrated circuit ROIC. A limitation in this type of radiation sensor is that the direct electrical connection mentioned serves to pick-up parasitic noise sources such as capacitive, inductive, and electromagnetic signal levels. The present invention has no electrical connection between the sensor structures sensitive to low level radiation and the readout ROIC and thus avoids many of the aforementioned parasitic noise problems.
Micromachining has been developed as a means for accurately fabricating small structures with micrometer and nanometer dimensions and is applied to structures for radiation sensors. Such processing involves the selective etching and deposition of layers of thin films. In addition various sacrificial layers are employed to enable the fabrication of relatively complex interactive structures. This technology is generally referred to as micro-optical electromechanical systems MOEMS technology and is utilized in a wide range of application devices. In the present invention we utilize MOEMS technology to fabricate microplatforms that contain a pyro-optical film as a key component of a radiation sensor which is used to modulate a second source of radiation as an interrogation carrier beam. These microplatforms are a key component within the radiation sensor which includes a second source of photonic radiation and a detector for readout of the modulated photonic beam. The pyro-optical film modulates the amplitude of the photonic beam to the detector in response to incremental heating from an incident low level radiation source. The second source of radiation is typically a visible or near infrared wavelength beam. The photon detector is typically a two-dimensional array of silicon charge coupled diodes (CCD) or CMOS silicon diodes with an imaging application. With low level radiation incident on the pyro-optical thin film, an incremental heating occurs which in turn causes a change in the transmissivity or reflectivity of the second source interrogation carrier beam. This change in the pyro-optical film characteristics modulates the amplitude of a photonic beam exiting to an ROIC detector. In the present invention the resulting signal output from the ROIC and associated circuitry is signal highly sensitive to the amplitude of incident low level radiation. The subject of the present invention in particular is the use of the carrier beam to cause further heating of the pyro-optical film and thereby provide a sensor with photo-thermal signal gain.
A thermal imager that includes an infrared sensitive light valve and a light source arranged to illuminate the valve was described by Elliott and Watton in U.S. Pat. No. 4,594,507. This imager contains an infrared sensitive optically active liquid crystal cell and an analyzer adjusted to near extinction. An optical processor comprising a lens and an apodized stop filter lies in the light path between the valve and the detector array. The thermal imager described in this patent uses an interrogation light beam but does not mention microplatforms, microstructures, or thermal gain.
An infrared sensor scheme is described by Hanson in U.S. Pat. No. 5,512,748 in which an infrared sensitive film is used to amplitude modulate a photonic carrier beam. This patent describes a focal plane array including a plurality of thermal sensors mounted on a substrate. An image is formed on an infrared sensitive film layer in response to infrared radiation from a scene. Electromagnetic radiation from a source is used to reproduce or transfer the image from the thermal sensors onto the first surface of the substrate. In the Hanson patent there is no mention made of a pyro-optical film in which the absorption of a visible or near infrared carrier beam increases with temperature to achieve a photo-thermal gain.
Cross et al in U.S. Pat. No. 4,994,672 describe an infrared imaging system which includes a pyro-optic film exhibiting a substantial change in refractive index in response to incremental changes in temperature. A high level light beam is projected onto the sensor and locally reflected in accordance with local changes in the refractive index of a pyro-optic film. This detector and imager description does not mention any structures or techniques for obtaining thermal gain.
It is an object of this invention to provide an improved radiation sensor wherein micromachining of a thermally isolated platform is used with selected pyro-optical thin films to accomplish a sensor with photo-thermal gain. This type of thermal gain is powered by the carrier beam.
It is another object of this invention to provide a pyro-optical sensor with an increased sensitivity to low level radiation wherein the readout noise and photonic noise contributions to the system output are relatively reduced. The result is a decrease in the net equivalent temperature differential NETD of a source of low level radiation that can be detected by the radiation sensor operating as an imager.